Henry VIII Facts For Kids | King Of England

Indeed, Henry VIII was the most famous king of the Tudor dynasty. He ruled England for just about 38 years and married six times. He died at the age of 55. Now let’s have a look at some other facts about Henry VIII.

Henry VIII Facts For Kids

Date of Birth: June 28, 1491

Place of Birth: Greenwich Palace

Date of Death: January 28, 1547

Place of Death: Palace of Whitehall

Age: 55

Time period in Office: 38 years

Family and Early Life

Henry VIII was the second Tudor king.

The name of his father was Henry VII.

The name of his mother was Elizabeth of York.

He was the Lord of Ireland.

Three of his sisters and brothers reached adulthood. These were Margaret, Arthur and Mary.

When he was just 2 years old, he was made constable of Dover Castle. He was also made Lord Warden of Cinque Ports.

When he reached 3, he was made England’s Earl Marshal as well as Ireland’s Lord Lieutenant.

When he was 4 years old, he was made Order of the Garter.

Edward was only 9 years old when his father (Henry VIII) passed away.

Wives of Henry VIII

Henry VIII had 6 wives.

Catherine was Henry’s first wife.

Henry got married to Anne Boleyn in 1532.

On May 23 of 1533, the marriage of Henry with Catherine was declared invalid.

On May 28 of 1533, the marriage of Henry with Anne was declared valid.

After Henry’s marriage with Anne, the title of queen was taken away from Catherine. She was referred to “Princess Dowager”.

Anne Boleyn became a new queen on June 1, 1533.

Catherine of Aragon (Henry’s first wife) died on January 8, 1536. Henry celebrated the day with enjoyment when Catherine died.

In Tower of London, Anne Boleyn was put to death by cutting her head off on May 19, 1536. This place is now known as ‘Tower Green’.

Henry got married to Jane Seymour after 11 days of Anne’s death.

A son was born to Jane on October 12, 1537. His name was Edward and became Edward VI of England.

Jane died just after 12 days of Prince Edward’s birth.

Henry got married to Anne of Cleves on January 6, 1540. But this marriage was canceled and Anne was given the title ‘The King’s Sister’.

Henry got married to Catherine Howard on July 28, 1540.

Catherine Howard was sentenced to death on February 13, 1542.

The last and sixth wife of Henry was Catherine Parr. They got married in 1543.

More Henry VIII Facts For Kids

He was more than 6 feet tall.

At the Battle of the Spurs on June 30, 1513, Henry attacked France and won the battle.

Henry became very fat in his 50s. His waist was 54 inches while he was just about 50 years of age or more.

Henry died at the age of 55 due to obesity.

The final words of Henry just before he died were ‘Monks! Monks! Monks’.

The day when Henry VIII died was the same day when his father Henry VII was born 90 years back.

Henry was succeeded by his only son named Edward.

He was a good singer, writer as well as a musician.

He wrote the most famous British song called ‘The Kynges Ballade’ or “Pastime with Good Company”. It is also known as ‘The King’s Ballad’.

He was fond of playing sports like tennis, jousting. He was also a gambler.

He is the founder of a school in Oxford known as Christ Church Cathedral School. He built it in 1546.

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